San Rafael CA -- 32TEN Studios, a stage rental and practical effects house headquartered at a historic soundstage location in Marin CA, has launched a Professional Workshop Series. This new series of educational, hands-on gatherings has been designed to help filmmakers, game designers, and a variety of entertainment industry professionals further their technical and theoretical application of production and post production skills, while also teaching the art and craft behind those disciplines to filmmaking enthusiasts.

The Professional Workshop Series will offer educational programs designed to satisfy a range of filmmakers: from the basic film enthusiast to the industry veteran. Led by prominent technology companies and industry experts with extensive filmmaking backgrounds, the workshops will educate through the use of seminars and hands-on workshops. Mostly targeting production professionals who wish to hone their skills or become exposed to new areas within the production and post production universe, these workshops will be held on a regular basis on the stage at 32TEN Studios.

The first Professional Workshop program, entitled “From Green Screen toSilver Screen,” to be held on March 31st and designed for educators and film enthusiasts, will walk participants through the basics of digital post-production visual effects. The session will be led by Vince de Quattro, who has just been named as the Director of Artist Development for 32TEN Studios. (Side Note: De Quattro will also spearhead 32TEN Studios’ new “Pre-College Summer Film Program” for teenagers – that series commences in June.)

De Quattro will also lead another series, entitled “Production Workshop,” on a recurring basis, commencing March 22nd. This three-hour evening workshop is designed for both independent filmmakers and producers looking to understand the animation and effects marketplace, as well as young artists looking to assume roles as production assistants, production coordinators, and ultimately producers in the feature animation and post-production VFX industry. These sessions will feature production training in bidding, artist management, the culture of the hybridized art/technical entertainment industry, and other guidance for producers of short film, commercial and music videos in today's digital arena.

The third event in the Professional Workshop Series will be a presentation entitled “Models and Miniatures in a Digital Age” by Fon Davis on April 4th, from 7 - 9pm. During this presentation, Davis will discuss the considerations when deciding on a scale for the model, choice of materials, and level of detail. He will show examples of when miniatures are the best option over live action or CG, and explain the reasons why. Lastly, he will unveil the tricks of the trade that artists use to make models and miniatures look full scale and completely realistic.

Future such Professional Workshop events are slated to include such topics as Visual Design, Crane Operation, Pre-Visualization Technologies, High Resolution Camera Technology, Motion Capture, Motion Control, Stereography, and Pyrotechnics. These workshops will be posted at www.32ten.com

Tim Partridge, President/CEO of 32TEN Studios, said, “Our vision for 32TEN Studios is for our historic site to serve as a creative hub for the Marin County and Northern California filmmaking community. We also intend to provide the community with the opportunity for continued learning of new production technologies and techniques with this series of regularly scheduled workshops.”

Adds David Tanaka, Sectional Chairman, Bay Area, for The Visual Effects Society, said, “The Visual Effects Society, Bay Area Section, is very excited as to the creation of 32TEN Studios. The services they will be offering to the entertainment industry at large, and the potential opportunities they hold for skilled artists and technicians throughout the Bay Area, are endeavors the VES Bay Area surely supports. The founders of 32TEN are all former colleagues and acquaintances to many in the VES membership, and their company name, which bears a familiar address to many of us in the VFX industry, is of special significance. The VES Bay Area Board of Directors looks forward to collectively sharing in 32TEN's local community outreach, and to collaborating with them on future projects, including their Professional Workshop Series, and other upcoming educational events.”

About Vince De Quattro

Prior to joining 32TEN Studios as Director of Artist Development, Vince De Quattro served as the Online Director of Animation and Visual Effects for the Academy of Art University (San Francisco) from 2005-2011. There, he was instrumental in building a world class post production program for both BFA and MFA tracks. His production program influence and collaborative thesis approach helped garner that school’s first Student Academy Award in Animation since 2004.

De Quattro spent most of his visual effects career with Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), joining that company as a Technical Director in l997. While there, he worked on five Academy Award-nominated feature films—films nominated for “Best Achievement in Visual Effects.” These included “Mighty Joe Young,” “Star Wars: Episodes I and II,” “Pearl Harbor,” and “Pirates of the Caribbean.” As a Technical Director and a Computer Graphics Supervisor, De Quattro has been responsible for the design, development and implementation of visual effects for numerous feature films. During his career, he has worked with nine Academy Award winning VFX Supervisors.

Prior to his post with ILM, De Quattro had been a Technical Director and Animator for Warner Bros. Digital Studios, Robert Greenberg Studios (in LA), and the Sony High Definition Television Center in Culver City, CA. After leaving ILM in 2003, De Quattro worked with several other Bay Area-based visual effects houses, including Matte World, Inc., The Orphanage, and Tweak Films.

De Quattro is an active member of the Visual Effects Society and an Academic Member of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. He holds a BA Degree in Fine Arts/Studio Art from USC, and participated in the USC Film School Master’s Program in Computer Animation in Film.

About Fon Davis

During his career, Fon Davis has worked on over 30 feature films including blockbusters like “The Matrix” series. As a member of the Industrial Light and Magic Model Shop for 10 years, he worked on several features such as “Star Wars,” “Pearl Harbor,” “Starship Troopers,” “Galaxy Quest,” “Terminator III” and “Mission Impossible III.” In addition to his work in visual effects, Davis has also worked in Disney’s art departments as a concept designer/model-maker, and on several stop motion projects, including “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and Coraline.”

More recently, he was miniatures supervisor on “Big Miracle” with Drew Barrymore, and the Neill Blomkamp’s upcoming “Elysium.” Having started his own company, Fonco Creative Services, in 2000, Davis now also writes and develops his own projects, frequently using his CG skills alongside practical model-making. With his vast experience, Davis is well positioned to participate within the 32TEN Professional Workshop series by discussing the art and craft of model-making for cinema, from concept design to hybrid practical and CG effects, as well as how models and miniatures can still play a role in today’s mostly digital world.

About 32TEN Studios

Launched in early 2012 by longtime entertainment industry leaders Tim Partridge and Greg Maloney, 32TEN Studios is both a stage rental and practical FX production company located at the historic site of first ILM, and later Kerner Optical. The company provides its services to producers of major motion pictures, independent films, TV programs, commercials, industrials, web content and multi-media projects.